Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

Harry and Ron had only gone to the bathroom once, but when they came back, they noticed that the way people were looking at them was a little different.

Harry felt fine. He had been getting stared at since he started first grade, and he was used to it.

On the contrary, Ron felt somewhat uncomfortable with the way people were looking at him.

He kept wondering if he had worn the wrong clothes today, otherwise why was everyone looking at him?

Not only do they watch him, but they also talk about him behind his back, and sometimes they even hear their own names mentioned by others.

Ron turned around and looked behind him again, then asked in a low voice:

"Harry, is there something hanging on me, or did my twin brother play a prank on me by writing 'I am an idiot' on it?"

Harry lagged a few steps behind, carefully examined his back, and shook his head, saying, "There's nothing there."

Ron then asked Neville and Mikel, but they also found nothing and had no idea why the young wizards around them were looking at Ron.

It wasn't until Lin Xia and the others arrived that they told him the truth.

While having breakfast in the Great Hall, Hermione didn't sit at the Gryffindor table, but instead went to the Hufflepuff table to discuss some issues with Lin Xia.

In their first lesson, Gryffindor did not attend with Hufflepuff.

They didn't meet up until the second period in the morning, during Potions class.

As soon as Draco saw Harry and Ron, he teased, "Are you two under a lot of pressure?"

Ron and Harry were completely bewildered, asking blankly, "What?"

Lin Xia observed their facial expressions and, finding them genuine, asked, "Haven't you heard the rumors about yourselves yet?"

Ron asked anxiously, "What rumor?"

His first reaction was that someone was spreading rumors about him, making him the laughingstock of the entire grade... no, the entire Gryffindor, even the entire school!
Lin Xia said, "I contributed some tea recipes from the East, which were sold and produced by Hogwarts and launched in the magical world, attracting the favor of some wizards."

Everyone else nodded.

They are aware of that.

Lin Xia continued, "I take 2% of the gross profit as Hufflepuff's catering funds, so that Hogwarts' kitchens can provide all the teachers and students of Hufflepuff with some different drinks and food, which is the magical cuisine from the East that you see here."

Hermione said, "No wonder the food on the Hufflepuff table is a little different from the other three houses. You even have milk tea cups that are special to the Hufflepuff house."

I really like this cup, but the school said it's a Hufflepuff custom order. I was thinking, why doesn't anyone in Gryffindor want a custom order? I could pay for it.

She reacted quickly and immediately understood Hufflepuff's special nature.

"At that time, I asked how I could buy it or have it custom-made. The house-elf told me that it had to be done through the academy and that I had to get the school's approval."

So you used 2% of the beverage gross profit margin to put into Hufflepuff Academy as a dedicated catering fund?

Lin Xia nodded.

“I did mention this to the school, and they approved it, but at the time I only said that the money was specifically for improving the food and living standards of Hufflepuff junior wizards.”

I never imagined that House-Elves could go to such lengths; from the specially customized milk tea cup to the specially provided Eastern food, everything is truly unique.

Mikel couldn't help but say, "Not only are they curious, but Hufflepuff's table is always full of strange and wonderful little things."

Yesterday I saw a cake that was 19 layers high and covered with jewels. I was wondering what it was, but it turned out to be made of food. You could even pick the jewels off and eat them!

Students from other houses watched with great envy, and even I wanted to run over and ask a Hufflepuff friend to share a piece.

Older students, busy with their studies, no longer care about fancy food.

Everyone's needs and desires change at different stages of life.

However, these flashy things are very attractive to younger students.

No matter how humble or proud Hufflepuff's students are, they can't help but show off.

Their food is the best in the whole school!

After listening for a while, Ron couldn't help but ask, "This is all thanks to Lin Xia. Why are they watching me and Harry?"

Lin Xia looked at him with some pity and pointed to her own ear.

"I overheard it from the sidelines. This morning, some prefects couldn't stand how lavish the Hufflepuff meals were, so they went to the kitchen together to ask the house-elves for an explanation."

So the house-elf revealed that I use a 2% profit margin from my tea recipe as a special fund for catering to all Hufflepuff students and staff. The house-elf also said that if the other three houses want to provide the same service as Hufflepuff, they have to do the same.

"Like you?"

Neville asked curiously, "Does being a house-elf mean that you have to do research like me, and then set aside a portion of the research proceeds to establish a special fund to support the students of this academy?"

Lin Xia nodded: "Yes."

She said calmly, "As you all know, Hogwarts has been accepting donations from successful people outside the school, or outstanding graduates who graduated many years ago, to improve or rebuild some of the old facilities inside."

"This is the most correct, and only, way for Hogwarts to obtain external funding."

Hermione added, "The school had previously relaxed the donation restrictions, allowing enrolled students to donate, which caused a lot of trouble, so the school later tightened the donation restrictions."

Lin Xia said, "So after I submitted my application to the school, the school hesitated and discussed it for a long time before finally deciding to accept my donation, but only for the income generated from the research."

"Because I sold my tea recipe to the school and signed a series of cooperation agreements with the school, this part of the revenue will not go through my account. Instead, the school will spend the funds after receiving them. The whole process is supervised by the school to ensure that the funds will not be misused or misappropriated."

Hermione understood: "I understand why the school sets this condition before accepting funding from enrolled students. Only by doing so can the school ensure that the source of funds is safe and reliable."

At the same time, it can also determine that you are truly qualified to donate, and not just putting on a show, or donating ostensibly in your name but actually in the name of your family.

This statement is somewhat pointed.

Others didn't specifically look into donations, since none of them had a concept of donations.

However, Draco knew some of the inside information.

In the last century, donations were very popular, and noble students, led by Slytherin, donated a large sum of money to Hogwarts.

On the surface, it is a donation from individual students, but in reality, it is funded by the wealthy families behind the students.

They did this in order to gain a greater voice within Hogwarts.

At that time, all students were eager to join Slytherin House.

Once you get into this college, you'll truly be ahead of the competition, enjoying the best professors, the most outstanding laboratories, and access to the most cutting-edge technologies. This is what's known as elite education.

Yes, Hogwarts also offers elite education.

The "outstanding student" system, which has been passed down for generations, is a product of elite education.

Even though the four founders ultimately advocated for education for all and did not reject any student who wanted to learn magic, there were still discriminatory practices within the academy.

Some colleges simply don't have the same quality of educational resources, even if everyone is studying at the same school.

If Hogwarts truly embraces education for all, then why does it separate students into the four houses instead of mixing all students together to break down the barriers of house hierarchy?

Ron and Harry exchanged bewildered glances. "So?"

Lin Xia shared her research findings—well, the tea recipes weren't her research, but rather a collection of thousands of years of Eastern wisdom.

Lin Xia was the first person at Hogwarts to compile an Eastern tea recipe into a book, apply for her own intellectual property patent, and even produce it. It received unanimous praise and she signed a cooperation agreement with the school to sell it to the public.

Regardless of who developed the formula, she was the first to popularize it within Hogwarts.

So this can also be considered as the result of her research.

But Lin Xia is so powerful, it's none of their business!

Lin Xia smiled faintly: "After these class leaders learned about the donation conditions, they all began to take action, searching for students with research talent within the college."

Not only the class monitor, but many students wanted to lend a helping hand to these individuals, and then encourage them to donate some of their research findings as a special fund for catering in each college, to improve the living standards of students in each college.

Draco said, "Ravenclaws are a given. They're all very intelligent, but they're rather withdrawn and not good at teamwork."

But once a team is assembled, bringing together a group of brilliant minds, it's only a matter of time before they produce research that is uniquely their own.

Hermione analyzed, "Hufflepuff doesn't need to worry either. Lin Xia's research results are enough to sustain them for a long time. As long as Slytherin is determined to do it, they can achieve results quickly."

She pointed out incisively, "After all, this group of people is rich, and there are quite a few smart ones among them!"

Whether it was genuinely intelligent people conducting research or privately purchasing other people's academic achievements to claim them as their own, Slytherin always had its own methods.

Ron and Harry exchanged another glance, and they both understood.

Ron's lips twitched: "So, all things considered, Gryffindor's research is the weakest, and these students are pinning their hopes on Harry and me, which is why they keep watching us?"

Lin Xia smiled faintly: "That should be true."

Draco: "After all, you joined Lin Xia's lab and assisted at several paper presentations, so it's not surprising that they think you have research talent."

Hermione said speechlessly, "I don't quite understand why they don't think highly of me. Do I look dumber than Harry and Ron?"

Lin Xia thought for a moment and said, "Is there any possibility?"

Hermione looked over.

Lin Xia said with utmost honesty, "They've all forgotten that you were originally a Gryffindor student, and they still think you're a Ravenclaw prodigy."

These words somewhat calmed Hermione down.

During their casual conversation, the school bell rang, and Professor Snape strode in with his devilish gait.

The potions class in the second semester of the third year focuses on basic potion preparation. The textbook continues to be "Potions and Elixirs," and there is also a newly compiled intermediate potions textbook.

The author of this book, "Intermediate Potions," is unknown. When it was distributed, it was poorly made and printed on inferior paper.

However, the types of potions listed above are quite diverse.

Although these are basic potions, they are quite relevant to the current magical world, as they list some commonly used potions.

In comparison, the contents of "Potions and Elixirs" appear to be much older.

Some of the potions I concoct are completely useless; I don't even know what the point of learning how to make them is.

Lin Xia flipped through the textbook and found that many of the production processes in "Intermediate Potions" had been simplified and many production steps had been improved.

Making potions by following the improved steps can increase the extraction rate of potions by at least 40%!

But today, Professor Snape didn't teach his students how to make basic potions; instead, he taught them how to make "Veritaserum"!
Upon hearing these three words, the young wizards couldn't help but gasp.

"Truth Potion" is a high-level magic potion, and its preparation is extremely complex!

Only advanced wizards can successfully make it; very few intermediate wizards can concoct it unless they have been researching Truth Potion all along.

Snape glanced coldly at the students below and said in an arrogant tone:

"You may have already heard of Truth Potion, but I still want to tell you again how difficult it is to prepare."

Truth Potion is a potent mind-control potion that causes the user to unconsciously reveal the truth. In the magical world, it is a controlled substance, used only by high-ranking wizards or specific institutions, such as the Magical Inquisition.

He raised his head: "Logically speaking, you may never have the chance to come across the formula for Truth Potion."

However, I made a special application to the school, allowing you to learn the basic principles of the formula and the preparation process, master material identification, dosage control, and operational safety to avoid uncontrolled drug efficacy.

"So in the next few lessons, I'm not actually going to have you make truth serum. With your blockheads, even if I revealed the complete formula, you still wouldn't be able to make it successfully."

What you need to do is learn the theoretical framework and basic formula analysis. If you really need practical operation in the future, these lessons will lay the foundation for your operation.

Ron looked bewildered and turned to look at Neville.

"Did you understand? So we really need to learn about truth serum?"

Neville shook his head blankly as well, but he was a little better at extracting some information.

"It's not about learning the complete truth serum, but about learning the basic formulation of truth serum. The focus is on theoretical research, such as paying attention to the framework of the formula and important considerations during the experiment, in order to prepare for future practical classes."

Lin Xia's eyes flickered slightly after listening to what Professor Snape had to say.

She had the formula for truth serum.

But she never tried to make truth serum.

She turned to Draco and asked, "Have you ever made truth serum?"

Draco nodded, then shook his head: "I tried to make them, but they all failed." (End of Chapter)